A Temporary Situation
by AliasCWN
Summary: In a war situations can change quickly. Some of the changes you may want, others not so much. Moffitt faces changes that could change his life.
1. Chapter 1

**A Temporary Situation**

By: AliasCWN

The music played softly as Mark Hitchcock worked on cleaning the dirt and old gun oil out of the mechanisms of the 50 caliber machine gun. He looked up as Pfc. Clyde Tanner stepped up next to him.

"Do you mind if I change the station?"

Hitch looked toward the radio and frowned. "What's wrong with the station that's on?"

"Nothing." Tanner gave Hitch a sheepish grin. "I was just hoping to be able to listen to that German radio broadcast they give every night. "

"German broadcast?" Hitch frowned again. "That's in German; it's not one of those broadcasts that they do in English to try to crush our moral."

"I know." Tanner admitted. "My grandparents were German and I learned the language growing up. I don't get much chance to practice it since my grandparents died. My father refuses to speak it."

"You speak German?"

"Yeah, but I don't tell just anybody. You wouldn't believe how suspicious some people get when they find out my grandparents were German. Besides, if headquarters found out they'd have me stuck in some office somewhere translating German radio messages."

"At least you'd get to practice your German." Hitch grinned.

"Yeah, but I'd hate being stuck inside. I joined the army to fight, not sit in an office."

Hitch laughed. "I know what you mean. My folks wanted me to take a nice safe job in an office somewhere. It wasn't for me either." Hitch glanced over at Troy sitting by their small fire. "Maybe you ought to tell Sarge you speak German, he won't stick you in an office."

"Will he question my loyalty since my father and grandparents were German?"

"Not as long as you don't give him a reason." Hitch assured him.

"Okay, I'll mention it to him." Tanner agreed. "Now, about that radio broadcast, may I change the frequency?"

"Sure, go ahead." Hitch nodded.

A few turns of the knob and a voice speaking in German floated across the small camp. The speaker was speaking fast and low, almost as if he didn't want anyone to overhear him. Tanner reached for the knob to change the frequency again, still searching for the broadcast. Something the speaker said caused him to stop in mid-reach. Reaching under the seat he grabbed a small pad and pencil.

Hitch paused in reassembling the 50 to watch as Tanner scribbled furiously on the pad.

"What are you doing, translating?"

Tanner waved him to silence with an impatient gesture. He continued to write even after the transmission ended. Finally he put the pencil down and looked at Hitch. "Didn't you say you had to leave your British sergeant at the base hospital after he was wounded?"

"Yeah, Doc caught a bullet and we had to leave him there when we got a new assignment. The doctors said he could rejoin us once his wound healed. He's still there waiting for the okay to come back. Why?"

"Did he say when he was going to be released?"

"No." Hitch answered, standing up to face Tanner. "What's going on? What did you hear?"

"I think your sergeant caught a ride back with a convoy headed this way."

"How do you know that? What did you hear Tanner?"

"What's going on here?" Troy demanded as Hitch raised his voice. "Turn that radio off and keep your voice down." Troy threw Hitch a warning look before he turned to Tanner. "Sound carries on the desert; I told you you could play the radio if you kept it low."

"Sarge, he heard some German talking about Moffitt." Hitch interrupted.

"Moffitt? What about Moffitt?"

"I didn't hear any names." Tanner insisted.

"Then how do you know he was talking about Moffitt?" Troy demanded.

"Maybe I should start from the beginning." Tanner suggested.

"You do that Tanner, but make it fast. What do you know about Moffitt?" The sergeant's voice dropped to a low growl in warning.

Tanner took a deep breath and began. "I was telling Hitchcock that my father and grandparents were German. My grandparents moved to the United States just after the First World War. My father was raised here and he is a loyal American." Troy nodded for him to go on as Tanner paused. "My grandparents spoke a lot of German and they taught me. It's what we spoke in their house. My parents wouldn't let me speak it in our house. They said we should speak English because we were Americans."

"Get to the point Tanner!" Troy demanded.

"I just wanted you to understand Sergeant; I am a loyal American despite my heritage."

"Nobody is questioning your loyalty, only your information. And I'm not really questioning that since I don't know what you heard, so get to the point!"

"Okay. I asked Hitchcock if I could listen to a German broadcast so I could practice my German, only when I changed the frequency, I didn't get the broadcast. What I got was some German telling another guy where to ambush an American convoy. He gave coordinates and an approximate arrival time."

Troy glanced at Hitch with a look of confusion.

"Okay, I'm interested, but what does that have to do with Moffitt?"

"He mentioned that a member of the Rat Patrol was traveling with the convoy, returning to his unit. He claimed he was a British sergeant and he described him for them. He even specified which truck he was riding in." Tanner paused. "They're going to attack the convoy and try to take your guy alive for interrogation by the Gestapo. They figure it's the perfect chance since the rest of you aren't around."

"And they didn't mention a name?"

"Not that I heard, but the guy who was going to attack the convoy said he had files on all of you that included pictures and names."

"Moffitt wasn't due to be released for another couple of days."

"Maybe they left him out early." Hitch suggested. "They've had a lot of fighting up that way, maybe they needed the bed."

"They could have kept him on the base."

"Maybe he healed quicker than they expected."

"Maybe." Troy admitted. "Did you get the coordinates of the ambush?"

Tanner held up the paper he had been writing on during the radio transmission. He had the coordinates and as much as the conversation as he could remember. Troy read the hurried writing with difficulty.

"Do you need me to read it to you?" Tanner asked. "My handwriting is nothing to brag about."

"No, I get the idea."

"When do we leave Sarge?" Hitch asked with a worried frown.

"Call Tully, we'll leave as soon as I plot a course." Troy reached under Moffitt's seat and pulled out the cylinder containing their maps. Dumping the maps on the hood of the jeep, he looked for the one he wanted.

"What can I do?" Tanner asked.

"Help Hitch finish that 50 if he hasn't already. Check and make sure we didn't leave any evidence of our presence here for anyone to find."

"Right Sarge."

The sergeant found the ambush coordinates on the map and checked the distance against his watch.

"What's up Sarge?" Tully stopped next to the jeep to put his machine gun into the holster. "Hitch says we're moving out."

"Yeah, Tanner overheard a message saying the Germans are going to attack one of our convoys. We're going to see if we can help out."

"Okay."

"Tully, I'll ride with you and give you the rest of the details on the way. Tanner can ride with Hitch."

"Hitch is driving? I thought Tanner was supposed to drive until Moffitt gets back."

"We need to move fast and I'm not sure Tanner can keep up. They can change places after we get there."

"Going down pretty soon huh?"

"Real soon, and I'm not sure we can get there in time. We have a long way to go and I'll give you the details as we drive."

Tully nodded and climbed behind the wheel. He gave Hitch a wink and frowned when he got a worried look in return. "Is something wrong Sarge?"

"Drive Tully, I'll explain everything."


	2. Chapter 2

**A Temporary Situation**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

"We're too late."

Hitch looked over at Troy without speaking. The worried look on his face said it all.

"They've already taken the convoy." Troy explained when he realized what Hitch was thinking. He lowered the field glasses and watched the scene below without them.

"Moffitt?" That one word expressed all the anxiety they had all been feeling. Hitch looked toward the German column and tried to spot the English sergeant.

"Over next to the halftrack, on the ground." Troy handed the glasses to Hitch so he could look for himself. Moffitt was secured to the side of the armored vehicle by a pair of heavy handcuffs. His back was to them but they could see a dark spot in the sand beneath his leg. They had both seen enough blood to recognize it when they saw it, even from a distance.

"I don't see a bandage." Hitch's voice was low and concerned. "They wouldn't let him bleed to death, would they? Tanner said they wanted him alive to interrogate."

"There's alive and then there's alive." Troy sighed. "They only need him healthy enough to answer questions. Maybe they don't want him healthy enough to escape. They could have changed their minds altogether. Who knows?"

"What do we do now?"

"We wait." Troy took the field glasses back and studied the column. "We'll have to wait for an opportunity to present itself. According to Tanner they have no idea we're in the neighborhood; we can use that to our advantage."

"What about Moffitt?"

"What about him?"

"He looks like he needs medical attention."

Troy sighed again. "Look Hitch, if we go in there now all we're going to do is get somebody killed. That somebody could be Moffitt, we wait."

The blond nodded unhappily. "I'll go tell the others."

Troy frowned as he watched his driver slide down the hill to the jeeps. He knew how the other man felt, he felt it too, and he hated feeling helpless. He turned back to watch every move the Germans made.

The German lieutenant who commanded the column approached Moffitt. The man was older than most of the lieutenants that Troy had encountered to date. That suggested to the sergeant that the officer was not a career soldier but one who had entered the army sometime after the war began. He didn't have the stiff bearing of the officers who had graduated from the elite German military schools to command their forces. The sergeant wondered if the lieutenant had actually earned his commission or if he had family connections that had fast tracked his promotions. In his experience Troy had found the career officers more honorable and fair than those promoted for their successes on the battlefield. Too many of those successes had been the results of brutal tactics used without regard for human decency or consequences. It was an unfortunate fact that Hitler cared more about results than he cared about human rights; the Gestapo being a perfect example of that ideology.

The officer stopped next to Moffitt's still form and stared down at him. Troy could see his lips move but he couldn't make out what was said. At a nod from the lieutenant the guards unlocked the handcuffs and pulled the sergeant to his feet. The officer spoke again and Moffitt shook his head. Moffitt sagged into the arms of his guards as the lieutenant backhanded him across the face.

Troy cursed under his breath, hoping the questions were done.

The German appeared to be very short-tempered as he faced the wounded prisoner. He waved his hands around wildly, threatening again and again to strike the sergeant. Moffitt shook his head several times, each time receiving a blow to the face or body for his refusal. The officer continued to question him until he sagged into the guard's arms and dropped to his knees. The officer waited impatiently for him to stand.

One of the guards pulled his head up by his hair and stared into his face. With a shake of his head he let Moffitt's head drop and looked up at his lieutenant. The second guard shifted his grip to hold more of the unconscious sergeant's weight. Both guards lowered the prisoner to the ground and refastened the handcuffs as the officer stomped away.

Troy turned away, his own anger threatening to boil over and affect his judgement. When he turned back Moffitt was once again alone on the ground by the halftrack.

"Can I take a look Sarge?" Tully crawled up next to Troy to look down at the Germans.

Troy wordlessly handed the glasses to Moffitt's driver.

"He's hit in the leg."

Troy turned to look when Tully spoke. Moffitt had rolled enough that the leg wound was visible. Most of the blood was dark and dry, but there was some fresh blood there too, bright and glistening in the sun. The wound was high on the thigh and Troy remembered that Moffitt had been standing alright until the lieutenant had hit him. He dared to hope that the bone wasn't hit.

"Looks like they beat him up too." Tully continued.

"Yeah Tully, I know. He's alive, that's the part we have to remember. As long as he stays alive we still have a chance to rescue him."

Tully nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, you're right Sarge, and we're going to get him back."

"Yeah, we are." Troy agreed, he just didn't know how yet.

The two of them lay side by side and watched the Germans for the next forty-five minutes. They noticed that the convoy commander, an officer they knew by the name of Lieutenant Pope, was being held separate from his men. The drivers and guards from the convoy who had survived the attack were being held in a loose group behind the trucks. Moffitt and Lieutenant Pope were being kept closer to the halftracks. Troy smiled when he realized that Moffitt had more guards watching him than all of the others put together. It would make it harder to rescue him but Troy found it enlightening that they thought Moffitt was such a risk.

"They aren't taking any chances on Moffitt getting away." Tully drawled.

"I noticed, but they don't know about us."

"Are we sure?"

Troy turned to Tully in surprise. "Don't you trust Tanner?"

Tully shrugged. "I don't know him all that well but he seems okay." He shifted his matchstick to the other side of his mouth and stared at the Germans below. "I'm just saying, are we sure they didn't say that to lead us into a trap?"

"How would they know we were listening?"

"I don't know Sarge; I just don't want to make any assumptions that might get Doc, or us, killed."

"We won't Tully. We always expect the unexpected; it's saved us more than once."

"So what are we going to do?"

Troy shrugged. "What we always do, wait for an opportunity.. and take it. None of this was part of our assignment so there is no plan; we're on our own in this." Troy searched Tully's eyes for any sign of doubt. He didn't find any, but he did get a crooked grin.

"Actually Sarge, that makes me feel a whole lot better. We do better when we're on our own. I trust us; some of those officers, not so much. They aren't out here, we are."

Troy nodded as relief flooded him; they might just need all of the confidence they could muster to rescue Moffitt. He turned his attention to the problem at hand.

"Sarge, they're moving them!"

Tully's urgent call woke Troy from a light doze. The sun, heat, and lack of sleep had caught up with him as he tried to figure out what they could do to save Moffitt and the others. He twisted around and crawled the few feet to the top of the hill where Tully waited.

The German guards had moved the prisoners to the rear of one of the American trucks. As Troy and Tully watched they forced the prisoners to climb into the rear of the ten wheeler.

"They must have repacked the trucks to make room for the prisoners." Tully noted. "Command wouldn't have sent an empty truck with the convoy."

"That's probably why they were still here when we arrived. They repacked the truck to make room for the prisoners and since it was almost noon, they just stayed for lunch."

"Lucky for us."

"Unlucky for them."

"Hey! They're putting Doc and Lieutenant Pope in the staff car."

"When the time comes you and I will take the staff car and let Hitch and Tanner take the truck with the prisoners." They watched as the staff car drove away, leaving the trucks behind.

"Darn! They're splitting up." Tully groaned.

"Maybe not." Troy said quietly. "It looks like the trucks are going the same way. Maybe they're just in a hurry to get Moffitt and the Lieutenant to their base. This could work out to our advantage Tully." Troy sounded distant as he considered the possibilities. "We can take the car first and wait on the trucks to come to us."

Tully watched as the trucks took the same route as the staff car. "How are we going to do this Sarge?" He had a big grin on his face as he turned toward his sergeant.

"Let's get ahead of them and figure it out. It's nearly forty miles to their base, we have time." 


	3. Chapter 3

**A Temporary Situation**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

"Something's not right Sarge." Pvt. Brett Brubaker nudged the arm of his sergeant and whispered in his ear.

"What do you mean Brubaker?"

"They were waiting for us Sarge. We didn't see any dust from them moving so they were here a while before we arrived. A column that size doesn't travel without making a dust trail high enough to be spotted from a long way off. How did they know where we would be?"

Sgt. Quinn, a career soldier, shrugged at the question. "Maybe a plane spotted us, or some of those Arabs, they'd sell their mothers for a little bit of gold."

"That doesn't explain Sergeant Moffitt." Brubaker glanced toward the man under discussion and growled. "They knew he was with us. They headed straight for the truck he was riding in. A spotter couldn't have told them that because Sergeant Moffitt hasn't been out of that truck since we left the base."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Brubaker answered. "He slept most of the way; I had to wake him to get him to drink some water at our rest stop. He told me no one knew he was coming with us because it was a last minute decision to allow him to head back to his unit. Even his own guys don't know he's with us."

"Too bad, we could use their help right about now." Quinn replied.

"Did you see them after they caught him?"

"No. What did I miss?"

"They checked his dog tags and pulled a paper out of their pocket and checked it. They knew he was here Sarge, but I don't know how."

"Maybe they had a spy on the base."

"No." Brubaker argued. "Sergeant Moffitt got into the third truck at the base but changed to the fourth one when he found out he knew the driver. That was about three miles from the base and he's been in the fourth truck ever since. It was still dark when he changed trucks and no one could have seen him close enough to identify him. Besides, he did it on that rough stretch where we had to go slow. The trucks never stopped, he changed rides on the move."

"You're sure they went straight to the fourth truck?"

"Positive Sarge."

Sgt. Quinn fell silent as he thought about what he had heard. It certainly sounded as if the Germans were aware of Sergeant Moffitt's presence ahead of the attack. And the attack itself had been well set up, not a hasty plan thrown into being in a hurry. "Brubaker, who is our radio man on this trip?"

"John Beach."

"Do you trust him?"

"Yeah Sarge, I do."

"Okay, I saw him among the survivors. Find him and ask him who else had access to our radio."

Brubaker nodded and carefully made his way to Beach's side. The guards didn't like them talking so he had to be cautious and not draw attention to their conversation. Luckily for them most of the guards had been assigned to watch over Lieutenant Pope and Sergeant Moffitt.

A short time later Brubaker was back, a frown marring his homely features. "Sarge, Beach says no one was supposed to have access to the radio but him and Lieutenant Pope." Brubaker stared toward the lieutenant with a hurt expression. "You don't think the Lieutenant sold us out do you?"

"No way Brubaker, I'd trust the Lieutenant with my life."

"Then who?"

"Somebody else got to that radio. Beach must have left it long enough for someone to get to it and send a message without his knowledge."

"I guess, I mean it's not like he sleeps with it or anything." Brubaker agreed. "I'll ask around and see if any of the guys saw anyone around the radio while Beach was gone."

"Ask Hooper, he was driving the truck right behind the one carrying the radio." Quinn suggested. "And be careful. If we have somebody working with the Germans among our guys he's not going to want anyone asking questions. One look from him and the krauts will shoot you to shut you up."

Brubaker nodded that he understood the warning.

"It looks like they're getting ready to move us out. That explains why they shifted those loads. We won't be allowed to talk on the truck."

"I'll ask around real quick Sarge. I'll start with Hooper."

Brubaker stood next to Hooper when the guards ordered them into the truck. He shifted around, hesitating to board the truck until more of his friends had scrambled over the end and found seats. Only when he was ready did he follow the others. Brubaker and Hooper sat together near the middle of the truck bed. Two guards climbed in behind the prisoners and sat near the tailgate.

Two of the prisoners started a quiet conversation but the guards quickly broke it up. They ordered everyone to stay still and be quiet. All they could do was sit and roll with the bouncing of the truck.

Sweat poured down Quinn's face as the dust rolled in from the back and stuck to his wet skin. He rubbed at it absently as he tried to remember if he had seen anyone acting suspiciously since leaving the base. He knew most of the men on the convoy, a few were new, but they had seemed to be okay. It bothered him that there could be a spy among them and he hadn't noticed anything suspicious. He prided himself on being a good judge of character but he hadn't noticed anything wrong. If he had to pick one to suspect it would have been Private Hawkins, Hawk to the few friends he had made. The man was a loner who seldom talked; even to the men he called friends. Only Hawkins was buried in the desert along with the other causalities from the ambush. He tried to remember if any of the men had ever sounded sympathetic to the Germans but nothing came to mind. His thoughts were interrupted when Private Grant suddenly jumped to his feet. One of the guards lifted his rifle and shot the private before a word could be said. Grant crumbled to the floor, holding his hand over the wound. He reached toward the guard, saying something in German that seemed to shock the guard.

The truck ground to a stop as more Germans rushed to the back of the truck. The guard who had shot Grant was visibly shaking as the sergeant in charge of the Germans asked him questions. The German sergeant looked toward the Americans but he couldn't ask any questions because of the language barrier. Notably angry, he ordered Grant's body to be removed and the trucks started moving again. Brubaker met Quinn's eyes and smiled.

Quinn's thoughts went back to their departure from the base. Grant had been driving the third truck. Sergeant Moffitt had literally stopped their departure to join the convoy. The trucks had already started to move before the sergeant was added to the roster. Brubaker had been absolutely certain that Moffitt had not gotten out of the truck when the convoy had stopped to cool the engines and fill the radiators. How many men had noticed which truck the sergeant was riding in? The only reason he knew about the switch was because Brubaker had mentioned it after taking water to the sergeant. Quinn tried to remember if anyone else had been near enough to hear the comment. He couldn't remember anyone else being near at the time the comment was made. Add to that the fact that Grant spoke German and it was looking more and more like the Germans had taken care of their spy problem for them. Quinn just hoped that the Germans wouldn't hold it against them that one of their own had shot the traitor. Quinn couldn't picture the German commanders being very happy that they had lost their spy.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Temporary Situation**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

The staff car bounced along the pot hole filled road toward the German base.

"Where are you taking us?" Lieutenant Pope twisted in his seat to find a more comfortable position. With his hands tied behind him he was have a difficult time sitting back in the seat.

The German lieutenant turned to look at him but he didn't answer the question.

"We have a right to know." Pope raised his voice.

The German officer spoke to one of the guards and Moffitt winced as one of the soldiers raised his rifle and clubbed Pope over the head. The American lieutenant slumped to the floor of the car, stunned by the blow.

"Perhaps it would be best to just wait and see Lieutenant." Moffitt suggested. He noted the gleam of amusement in the German officer's eyes at the comment.

Pope nodded carefully, closing his eyes against the dizziness.

"I don't think the lieutenant understands English Lieutenant." Moffitt continued while keeping a wary eye on their guards. "And I don't think he really wants us to talk, at least not now."

The German lieutenant smiled at him with that same gleam in his eyes. Moffitt quit talking and concentrated on where they were going.

The car continued on in silence except for the sounds of the tires on the gravel road and the steady clatter of the engine. They had long ago outdistanced the slower halftracks and trucks and were moving at a steady clip across an empty desert.

Moffitt leaned back in his seat and watched the sand fly by. He regretted that there hadn't been time to notify Troy and the privates of his early return. They would have no way of knowing that he had been on this convoy until it was too late. He knew it was silly to think that they might still find a way to come to his rescue. He had gotten used to relying on them whenever he got into trouble. Call it habit, or wishful thinking, but he was still watching for them as the car sped closer and closer to the German base.

Moffitt chuckled silently to himself at the thought of such a thing really happening. He knew they had been sent out on an assignment, Troy had sent him a message just before they left. According to the message, Troy didn't expect to be back until tomorrow or the day after. By then it would be too late. He had overheard the lieutenant on the radio making arrangements for the Gestapo to pick him up as soon as they reached the German base. The Gestapo would take him straight to their stronghold in Bizerte where even Troy would have a hard time reaching him. Moffitt didn't doubt that they would try, even if headquarters forbid it. Troy would find some excuse to talk them into it. He knew that they would be willing to risk it but he didn't want to be the cause of their deaths, or worse, their capture by the SS. Moffitt began to wonder if he should try to escape on his own. Even death would be better than being sent to the Gestapo.

The car rounded a bend in the road and the driver cried out as the echo of a shot reached their ears. Another shot rang out and the car swerved as the front tire blew out. The driver couldn't control the out of control car since he was already dead. The flat desert on the side of the road kept the car on its wheels as the driver slumped against the door. Another shot rang out and the guard next to Moffitt grabbed his chest and fell forward, knocking the German lieutenant to the floor. Moffitt hit the remaining guard with his shoulder, pushing him from the car. As the German soldier tumbled to the ground the sergeant reached over and pushed Lieutenant Pope to the floor.

The German lieutenant crawled back onto the seat, shoving the dead guard out of the way. Moffitt raised his feet and kicked the officer as hard as he could in the chest. The officer threw his arms out to catch his balance, losing his weapon in the process. Moffitt kicked him again and he fell over the side of the car and tumbled to the ground.

The staff car slowed on the soft shoulder of the road and rolled to a stop. A jeep roared up and slid to a halt next to it, covering everything with a cloud of dust. Moffitt coughed and nodded to Hitch who manned the 50.

"You okay Doc?"

"I'm fine Hitch, thank you. You might check on those two Germans, I only knocked them out of the car."

"Sarge has it." Hitch answered as he jumped from the jeep and pulled a knife from his boot. "Let me help you with those Lieutenant." Hitch reached over and cut the ropes binding Pope's hands. "I'll find you a key for those handcuffs Doc." He took off before Moffitt could ask how he came to be there at that exact moment. Tanner sat in the jeep watching as Moffitt and Pope climbed out of the car.

"You're Sergeant Moffitt."

"Yes, I know. And you are?"

"Private Tanner, Clyde Tanner."

"Pleased to meet you, especially under the circumstances. You wouldn't happen to have some water in that jeep would you?"

"Oh yeah, sure." Tanner twisted around and pulled a canteen from behind the seat. He tossed it to Moffitt with a casual flip. His eyes widened as he realized that Moffitt's hands were still cuffed together. "Gee, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"That's quite all right." Moffitt responded as he caught the canteen awkwardly with his bound hands. "You must be my replacement."

"Yeah, but I think it's only temporary." Tanner stammered.

"That's good to know." Moffitt smiled as he finished his drink and handed the canteen to Lieutenant Pope. "It would be nice to still have a job to come back to."

"Oh, you got a job!" Tanner assured him. "You know, these guys do some pretty crazy things."

"Really?"

Tanner chuckled. "But then you already knew that. I'd better go help the sergeant or you'll get your job back sooner than any of us expect."

"May I keep the canteen?"

"Oh sure, go right ahead." Tanner gunned the engine and drove off to join the other jeep. Troy was standing over the unconscious German lieutenant while Tully stood guard over the German guard.

"Here we are Doc, just put your hands out and I will get these bracelets off." Hitch returned with the keys to the handcuffs and unlocked them. "Here, I got the med kit out of Tully's jeep for you too."

"Thanks Hitch, I can use that."

"Need any help Doc?"

"Help Troy, I think I can manage on my own.

Hitch nodded and ran back to help with the prisoners.

Moffitt sat down to apply a bandage to his wounded leg.

"Need help Doc?"

"I'm fine Tully. I thought you were helping Troy with the prisoners."

"No, I came to see if you needed anything. Tanner and Hitch can help Sarge. Are you okay Doc?"

"Well, if you aren't busy, I suppose I could let you help with this. My hands seem to be a bit shaky after all of this."

Tully smiled and reached for the med kit. "I doubt that the doctors back at the base were expecting you to jump right back into action. I bet they would have advised against it if they had known."

"It's not as if I had much choice Tully." The sergeant huffed.

"Well we've got you now Doc so just sit back and relax while I take care of this." Tully cleaned the wound with water as he talked and gently patted it dry.

"Tully, you needn't be so gentle, I won't break."

Tully smiled at his friend and looked up through his lashes at the other man. "No sense making this hurt any more than it has to Doc. I'm going to have to disinfect the wound with something stronger than water. It's going to hurt bad enough when I pour the alcohol on it."

Moffitt made a face. "I suppose you must."

"I must." Tully agreed.

Tully was applying the last of the tape when Troy walked up and squatted next to Moffitt. "How is it going?"

"Tully is getting even for all of the times I treated his wounds." Moffitt answered with a tight smile.

"Getting even or returning the favor?" Troy asked with a questioning look at Tully.

"I had to disinfect it with alcohol." Tully explained with a shrug.

"Oh."

"He's right Troy, it had to be done."

"Let's hope he remembers that the next time he gets hurt."

"I know Sarge." Tully grinned. "I just like to give Doc a hard time; it takes my mind off of the sting."

"Then by all means give me a hard time." The Brit replied quickly. He tested his leg to see how it felt. "That's much better Tully, thank you."

"The bullet's still in there Doc, we need to get you to a hospital." Tully warned.

"In a bit Tully, I need to talk to Troy."

"It's not a problem yet but I don't want it to get infected."

"I know Tully, but this is important."

"Okay Doc, I'm going to go check the jeep for damage."

"All right Moffitt, what's so important?" Troy demanded.

"What about the convoy Troy? Is help on the way? How did you even know we were in trouble?"

"The convoy is behind you; the column is just following at a slower pace. They'll be here soon and we need to be ready for them. We're going to try to free the prisoners."

"How are you going to do that with only four men, six if you count me, and I won't be much help?"

"I have an idea I think will work." Troy eyed Moffitt's leg. "I was thinking of tossing a grenade under the staff car so it looks like it hit a mine. We could position the bodies around it to make it more believable. When the column stops we'll go after the truck with the prisoners."

"What about your prisoners?"

"I was thinking you could keep an eye on them."

"The column might get suspicious when their officer and Lieutenant Pope and I aren't among the bodies."

"I figured I could put Hitch and Tully there to take your places and they could join the fight once I get the attention of the Germans." Troy explained his plan. "I know it's not perfect but we don't have a lot of time here and there is no help on the way."

"Maybe I can suggest a few changes that will improve our chances."


	5. Chapter 5

**A Temporary Situation**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 5

"Okay Hitch, bring the prisoners over here."

The two German prisoners shuffled slowly ahead of Hitchcock to join Troy. "We'll take them with us, put one in each jeep." Troy ordered.

"Troy don't you think that would be overloading the jeeps?"

Troy turned to Moffitt with a surprised look on his face. "What would you do with them?"

"I don't care, I just know that I need a doctor and taking them along will slow us down. The extra weight will force us to stop and cool the engines more often and some of us will have to take turns walking. I can't walk with this leg."

"What about my men?" Lieutenant Pope interrupted. "Aren't we going to try to get them back?"

"We can't Lieutenant. Not now anyway. We're short on gas, water, and ammunition. We can salvage some gas and water from this car but that doesn't help the ammunition problem. We have no idea where your men are right now and we don't have the supplies to go searching for them." Troy explained. "We'll radio ahead and see if headquarters can send a rescue team."

"That will be too late." The lieutenant lamented.

"I'm sorry sir but we don't have the ammunition." Troy repeated. "Besides, we need to get Moffitt to a hospital."

Next to Hitch Tanner opened his mouth to argue.

"Tanner, why don't you and I go get the jeeps so Doc won't have to walk?" Hitch grabbed Tanner's arm and led him away.

"We have plenty of ammo!" Tanner protested once they were clear of the others.

"Be quiet!" Hitch hissed.

"But I don't get it." Tanner insisted. "I thought we were going after the other prisoners. Why would Troy lie? We have plenty of ammo; gas and water too."

"I know that, and you know that, and you'd better believe that Sarge knows it too." Hitch hissed in Tanner's face.

"Then why lie?"

"Sarge has a plan and we need to just go along with whatever he says. I know Sarge; he won't leave those guys behind if there is any chance we can save them. The fact that he lied about our supplies tells me that he has something in mind. All we have to do is keep our mouths shut and follow orders; he'll tell us what we need to know."

"All right, if you're sure." Tanner agreed reluctantly.

"I'm sure; now let's get these jeeps back to Sarge before anyone gets suspicious."

"Look Lieutenant, we'll get Moffitt back to a doctor and restock our jeeps; then we'll come back for your men." Troy stopped talking as the jeeps pulled up next to him. He looked at Tanner and then at Hitch. Hitch gave a small nod to show that everything was under control. Tanner was tight-lipped but he kept silent.

"What are you going to do with your prisoners?" Pope asked.

"Leave them here." Moffitt suggested. "They have no food or water and they are miles from their base, the desert will take care of them."

"Sergeant!" Pope protested.

"Get in the jeep Lieutenant." Troy ordered. "We don't have time for this. We're a long way from home too."

Pope wanted to protest again but he didn't see any support from any of Troy's men. He'd always heard that they were considerate of their prisoners but apparently the stories were wrong. Defeated, he climbed into the jeep. "I hate leaving men to die of thirst." He mumbled as he took his seat.

"They didn't give you any water did they Lieutenant? And Moffitt says they were going to turn you over to the Gestapo. I don't see why you would care one way or the other about what happens to them." Troy growled as he climbed onto the radio in the back.

Pope's face paled at mention of the Gestapo. "But still Sergeant."

"Don't worry about them; we have enough worries of our own Lieutenant." Troy warned. "Let's shake it."

Tully led out, weaving his jeep around the various hills toward the Allied lines. After almost a mile Troy called a halt.

"What now Sergeant?" Pope demanded. "I thought we were in a hurry to get Sergeant Moffitt to a hospital."

"It can wait Lieutenant." Troy smiled at the angry officer. "First we need to see if we can't get your men back."

"My men? But you said we were low on supplies."

"I lied."

"You lied?" The lieutenant glared at Troy. "What kind of game are you playing Sergeant?"

"A really serious one Lieutenant. Look, I lied to you because I didn't know if you could act the part convincingly.

"Part? What part?"

"We're going after your men Lieutenant but we needed to convince the Germans that we were leaving."

"Why?"

"Because we want them to stop the column for us. That column, with your men in it, will be taking that same road in less than an hour. We need to stop it so we can get to the truck with your men. Now that Lieutenant thinks we're low on ammo and taking Moffitt to a hospital. He knows that column is coming and that they can reach their base before we can get help here. He'll stop the column and have them pick him up. When he does, we'll hit it."

Troy went on to lay out the rest of the plan. Lieutenant Pope forgot his anger as the details began to take shape.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Lieutenant, I need you to drive that truck out of there."

"What about the German driver and the guards?"

"Hitch will take out the driver. You take his place and get that truck moving. Tully and Moffitt will take care of the halftrack in front. Tanner and I will deal with the one in the rear. Once you start moving Hitch will try to take out the guards in the back but you have to keep moving. If he misses then your men will have to take a hand. No matter what happens, you have to keep moving so the guards can't reach the cab or we'll lose the truck again."

"I understand Sergeant." Pope nodded.

"All right, let's get moving, we need to be in position before the column gets here and we can't let the lieutenant know we're there." Troy waved everyone back to the jeeps to get into position.

"I really thought he was leaving my men behind." Pope told Tanner as they drove back toward the ambush site.

"I know what you mean." Tanner admitted. "I was about to blow the whole plan until Hitch explained it to me."

"How did he know?" Pope asked. "I didn't see him talking to Troy."

Tanner laughed. "He didn't. He just trusted his sergeant. I've heard rumors that they worked like that but I didn't believe it until today. It's weird but it seems to work for them. I'm glad he was right."

Pope fell silent, watching the desert flash by as he raced to rescue his men.

Hitch jumped out as soon as Tanner stopped the jeep. "Come on Lieutenant, we need to get close so we can jump the driver."

"There's no place to hide down there." Pope protested.

"We'll find something." Hitch assured him. "I saw a gully that was fairly deep with rocks to hide behind."

"How can we hide in a gully? The trucks sit high enough that the drivers can look right down on us unless they're really deep."

"They're deep enough." The blond answered as he dropped to the ground to begin his approach. "Are you coming Lieutenant?"

"Lead the way." Pope replied with a sigh.

Tanner rolled his eyes and smiled as Pope followed Hitch toward the gully. He saw them drop to their stomachs to slide along the bottom before he had to take up his own assigned position.

Hitch grabbed hands full of tumbleweeds as he slid along the bottom of the gully. As they neared the road he had the lieutenant go ahead of him. Once they were in position he told the officer not to move as he brushed sand around him and placed tumbleweeds along his body. Their desert tan uniforms blended well with the sandy grit in the ditches by the road. Once he was satisfied that the officer's outline was broken up enough to not be noticeable, he repeated the precautions with his own body. Then all they had to do was remain still until the trucks stopped at the staff car.

The wait wasn't a long one. They felt the rumble of the halftracks long before they got close. Hitch reached up to touch the lieutenant's leg to steady him as the column drew near. None of the Germans paid any attention to the gully as they drove past. The two men heard the change in pitch of the engines as the column slowed and stopped. Most of the drivers got out of their trucks to see what was holding up the line.

Hitch could hear the German officer yelling as he eased his body out of the gully. The driver of the truck they wanted had remained in place as had the guards in the back. Hitch hissed at the lieutenant to stay put until he was called. He looked back but the driver of the following truck had gone ahead with the others. Sliding under the truck, he pulled himself to his knees under the open window.

The driver had opened the window to let the air flow through as he drove. Now he bent his head to light a cigarette as he waited to find out what was happening. He flicked the match out the window and leaned his head back to blow smoke rings at the roof of his cab. He never saw the hands that reached through the window and grabbed his head. He couldn't resist the violent pull as his neck twisted. The sound of his spine snapping didn't carry to the back of the truck. The guards there didn't know anything was wrong.

Hitch ducked below the body of the truck to wave to Lieutenant Pope. As Pope crawled under the truck cab Hitch was pushing the dead driver to the passenger side to make room for the lieutenant. When the officer slid behind the wheel Hitch closed the door as gently as possible. "Remember, keep going." He whispered one last time. Pope nodded and started the truck moving.

It had been a while since Pope drove a ten wheeler and he ground the gears as he put it into first. The truck started to move and there was a yell from the rear. Pope stomped on the gas and shifted to second, picking up speed slowly. He glanced into the side mirror as he pulled away and saw a body sprawled on the ground. The blond hair and desert tan uniform gave him a start until he saw a second body tumble to the sand. He saw Hitchcock give him a little wave before turning and running back toward the column. The rifle in his hand was spitting fire as the other drivers realized what was happening.

"Is everyone all right back there?" Pope yelled as loud as he could, hoping that someone in the back would hear him.

"Is that you Lieutenant?" Sergeant Quinn yelled from the back.

"Yes Sergeant, believe it or not, it's me." Pope yelled back."

"Glad to hear it Lieutenant. I'd love to hear how you pulled it off but right now we have other problems. There is a patrol car chasing after us." Quinn warned. "Any idea how we're going to deal with it?"

"None at all Sergeant." Pope called back.


	6. Chapter 6

**A Temporary Situation**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

Hitch ran back toward the column as Tanner appeared behind the last halftrack. Troy was manning the 50 and had hand grenades tucked into his shirt. The remaining German drivers tried to defend themselves but most hadn't taken weapons with them when they left their trucks. With no yelling from the front they had felt secure enough to go unarmed to see what was happening.

Glancing toward the front of the column Hitch could see black smoke pouring from the halftrack that Tully and Moffitt were targeting. It looked like they had used a grenade to eliminate the threat. With the halftracks out of business the truck drivers surrendered to the better armed Americans.

"Sarge!" Hitch yelled. When Troy looked over he pointed toward the patrol car that was chasing the fleeing truck. Troy nodded and sent Tanner chasing after the lone car. Troy's 50 made short work of the unarmored patrol car, leaving it burning in the middle of the desert.

It was a happy group of truck drivers who came back to reclaim their trucks. Troy and Tanner had managed to flag down the fleeing truck once the patrol car was no longer a threat. The victors had returned to their convoy and gratefully slid behind the wheels.

"Head them out Lieutenant; we'll give you an escort all the way back to the base." Troy waved to Pope in the lead truck, urging him to get the convoy moving.

"Let's go home." Pope smiled tiredly at his driver.

The trucks headed in a beeline for their base, following in the tracks of one of the jeeps. Tully kept them on solid ground where they wouldn't bog down or break an axle. They pushed hard, knowing they were still behind enemy lines. They made it back to their base before the Germans could send anyone after them. The convoy pulled through the gates with tired but happy smiles.

As they gathered in the mess hall for some well-deserved, and overdue, nourishment Quinn pulled Brubaker aside. "How did you know Grant was the plant?"

"Beach said that Grant told him he should grab a chance to stretch his legs at our rest stop. Hooper said he saw Grant climb into the truck after Beach left. He stayed for about five minutes before he jumped out of the truck and left. According to Hoop he was acting funny when he left, like he was trying to hide the fact that he had been there. When Beach got back he said his seat was moved like someone had been sitting in it but Grant said he never went into the truck. I guess Grant didn't know that Hoop was trying to catch a nap in his truck."

"I would have suspected Hawkins if he hadn't been killed in the ambush." Quinn admitted.

"Hawk? Why Hawk?" Brubaker asked.

"He was strange." Quinn responded. "Never made any friends, kept to himself."

"He made friends Sarge, he was my friend."

"Sorry Brubaker, I just thought he was strange."

"He had his reasons." Brubaker said into the uneasy silence. "Oh heck, I guess I can tell you. He's dead, he won't care now."

"Tell me what?" Quinn asked, no longer sure he wanted to know.

"Hawk lost his wife. She was killed in a bus accident. He joined the army the day after her funeral. He said he didn't have anybody or anything keeping him there anymore. They never had kids and he didn't have any other family. She was all he had."

"Why'd you have to go and tell me that?" Quinn demanded. "Now I feel even worse for thinking he might be a spy!"

"He'd understand Sarge. He'd want you to suspect everybody until you found the guy." Brubaker assured him. "He always put the safety of the other guys first."

Quinn shook his head. "Poor bugger."

"A toast to Hawk and the other guys we lost." Brubaker held his tin cup high over his head. The sound of tin banging together filled the small section of the mess hall where the convoy's drivers sat. They all fell silent as they remembered their fallen comrades.

In the commander's office Troy, Moffitt and Lieutenant Pope were giving their reports. "So how did you know the convoy was in trouble?" The Captain asked.

"We overheard a German message that mentioned Moffitt's name, Lieutenant Pope's name and some coordinates Sir." Troy explained. "We were in the general area and decided to check it out. By the time we got there the Germans had already taken the convoy." Tanner had asked him not to reveal that he spoke German.

"Lucky thing you did Sergeant." The Captain declared. "We were counting on that convoy to resupply our base."

"Yes sir."

"What happened to that German lieutenant?" The Captain questioned. "There weren't any officers among the prisoners you brought in."

"He was killed when the halftrack exploded sir."

"I see." The officer replied. "One more thing Sergeant; why did you lie to Lieutenant Pope?"

"As I explained to the lieutenant sir, I wasn't sure he could play his part convincingly if he knew the truth. We had to act fast and make the Germans believe we were pulling out. My lie convinced both him and the German at the same time. I explained everything to the lieutenant as soon as I could."

"But that lieutenant didn't speak any English." Pope argued.

"Actually, he spoke very good English." Moffitt spoke for the first time. "I overheard him speaking to one of your men in English; he didn't want the rest of his men to hear what they were saying."

"One of my men?"

"A spy planted among your drivers." Moffitt confirmed.

"Who?"

"A private Grant." Moffitt identified the man he had heard talking to the German lieutenant. "I understand that he was accidently killed by one of the German guards when he stood up too quickly in the truck. He was hiding among the POW's and the guards didn't know his identity. They only discovered their mistake when he identified himself as he was dying."

"Why would he do that, stand up I mean?"

Moffitt smiled slightly. "From what I gathered after talking to your men, they believe he was bitten by something and was startled into standing up. He jumped up without thinking of his danger."

"Grant? I remember Grant; he was just a regular guy."

"Not so regular Lieutenant." The Captain disagreed. "We found out about him after your convoy left but we didn't want to lose him by alerting him before he could be picked up. It was decided to leave him alone until he arrived here where he would have been arrested by the MP's."

"It seems that everything worked out for the best." Moffitt responded. "If we are through here Captain, I think I need to lie down."

"Of course Sergeant, I'll call you when I need you."

"That went well." Moffitt paused to catch his breath on their way back to their tent.

"Yeah, everybody is happy and the bad guys all got what they deserved." Troy replied.

"Are you happy with Tanner?"

Troy stopped to look at Moffitt. "He's okay, why?"

"He speaks German like a native, he's a good driver, and he gets along well with Hitch and Tully."

"So?"

"So…I just thought you might be considering replacing me."

"Replacing you? Where did you get a crazy idea like that?"

"He is skilled and he is an American." Moffitt persisted.

"And he's close in age to Hitch and Tully."

"There is that too." Moffitt added.

"So?"

"Tanner did say he was my replacement." Moffitt continued.

"Temporary replacement." Troy clarified.

"But is it temporary?"

"Look Moffitt, I don't need any more headaches. I need a level head to help me keep those two out of trouble. I don't need someone to help them get into trouble. You aren't thinking about leaving are you?"

"Me? Why would I do that?"

"Why would I replace you?"

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess I could stay."

"Moffitt." Troy growled.

"Just teasing old man, but never let it be said that I didn't give you the opportunity to get rid of me." Moffitt's eyes glittered with suppressed laughter.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack." Troy groaned. "Three of them to keep an eye on and all by myself."

Moffitt chuckled as he ducked into their tent.


End file.
